As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Display devices for information handling systems include liquid crystal display (LCD) display devices. Most LCD display devices employ cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) backlights for lighting the display. In one typical configuration illustrated in cross-section in FIG. 1, a LCD display device 100 is shown coupled to an information handling system 120 (such as a desktop personal computer) and includes a LCD backlight module 102 that is provided for lighting a transmissive LCD display panel 104. Such a transmissive display panel 104 typically includes multiple layers (e.g., diffuser layer 130, input polarizer layer 132, LCD crystal layer 134, output polarizer layer 136) that together operate to produce an image based on image data 122 provided by graphics/video processing components of information handling system 120. As shown in FIG. 2, LCD backlight module 102 includes multiple “U-shaped” CCFL backlights 106 that are disposed in spaced relationship to each other within a “light pipe” area 116 of the LCD backlight module 102. The multiple CCFL backlights 106 are distributed in top-to-bottom relationship and across the planar area of the LCD backlight module 102 as shown. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, LCD backlight module 102 is also provided with a reflector 108 that helps to direct light 110 produced by the CCFL backlights 106 toward the LCD display panel 104.
Uneven brightness and poor brightness uniformity are problems that are often experienced by conventional LCD display devices such as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. These brightness problems may occur initially or over time due to a number of factors, such as due to the physical arrangement of the CCFL backlights 106 (e.g., uneven lamp spacing), stray capacitance that shunts partial lamp current between the two cathodes, light loss toward the ends of CCFL backlights 106 that are adjacent connectors for power 112, and aging of the CCFL backlights 106. It is typical for the brightness uniformity to deteriorate over time with use and wear of the CCFL backlight power connectors.